Smashed Cabbage And Mushroom Veggie Burgers Food

SMASHED CABBAGE AND MUSHROOM VEGGIE BURGERS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together egg, chickpea flour, water, soy sauce and garlic. Add onion, cabbage, mushrooms and sesame seeds; season with 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Using your hands, massage the cabbage mixture to evenly coat with the chickpea batter. Cover and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Juices from the vegetables will leach out and make the batter slightly wetter.
• Divide the cabbage mixture into 6 portions (about 1 1/2 cups each).
• Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a large cast-iron pan over medium-low heat. Cook 3 portions at a time, coaxing each patty together in the pan and compressing them with a flat spatula. Gently fry the patties, without disturbing them, until one side is golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until the golden brown and the vegetables are cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the patties from the pan onto a wire rack. Add remaining 1/4 cup oil to the pan and cook the remaining 3 portions.
• Place a slice of cheese on each cooked vegetable patty and allow the residual heat from the patties to melt the cheese. Serve sandwiched between buns, topping with mayonnaise, tomatoes, pickles and lettuce.

HOW TO MAKE BURGERS

Steps:

• Get all your ingredients and toppings prepared first. The cooking process moves fast, and you'll want to serve your burgers as quickly as possible.Buy a cast-iron pan, if you don't already have one. There is no better surface on which to cook a hamburger.A solid spatula, rather than a slotted one, is ideal for flipping burgers.
• When you say the word "burger," most people think beef. The quality of the meat is important, of course, but the most important factor is fat. Burgers should be composed of meat that is at least 20 percent fat. The most common grind of beef used for hamburgers is chuck. Specialty shops will sometimes sell custom blends for hamburgers, adding brisket or short-rib to the mix. You can experiment with those. But the most important factor in hamburger meat is the ratio of meat to fat. Look for a ratio of 80 percent meat to 20 percent fat. Avoid supermarket blends marked "lean," which are generally mixed in a ratio of 90 percent meat to 10 percent fat, often marked on the label as 90/10. A 90/10 blend will lead to dry hamburgers. (Conversely, be careful with blends that are more than 20 percent fat. These lead to hamburgers that are too loose and fatty.) Avoid preground supermarket chuck if possible. Instead, ask your butcher to grind your meat for you. Ask for a coarse grind. You should be able to see both meat and fat in the mix. (Supermarket chuck is ground "fine," which can lead to a denser and less satisfying burger.) Keep the meat in the refrigerator, untouched, until you are ready to cook.
• Great hamburgers fall into two distinct categories. There is the traditional griddled hamburger of diners and takeout places, a patty that is smashed thin with a burnished crust. And there is the pub- or tavern-style hamburger, which is larger, plump and juicy. Decide which form you want your burgers to take well before you start cooking.Here is the hamburger you get in better taverns and bars, big and juicy, with a thick char that gives way to tender, medium-rare meat. Like all burgers, it's best cooked in a cast-iron pan, though it also translates well to the grill. The pub- or tavern-style burger has a precooked weight of 6 to 8 ounces; two pounds of beef will yield four burgers. Avoid making patties that are larger than that, as they will be difficult to cook through. Use your hands to gently divide the ground beef into 4 piles about 8 ounces each, then lightly form each into a thick patty, roughly an inch thick and 3 ½ inches in diameter, like flattened meatballs. Take care not to handle the meat too much. Do not pack the meat tightly; the patty should just hold together. Use your thumb to create an indentation in the top of each patty, which will help it cook evenly. Season aggressively with salt and pepper. Add oil or butter to a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet and place over medium heat. When you're ready to cook, turn the heat to high, place the burgers in the skillet with plenty of distance between them and allow them to cook, without moving them, for about 3 minutes. Flip them over and, if using cheese, lay the slices on meat. The burger is done 3 to 4 minutes later for medium-rare. Remove them from the skillet and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.This is the traditional, griddled hamburger of diners and takeaway spots, smashed thin and cooked crisp on its edges. This style of burger can only be cooked on a flat surface, like a cast-iron pan; do not attempt it on the grill. The diner hamburger weighs around 3 to 4 ounces precooked, roughly an ice-cream-scoop's worth of meat. Two pounds of beef will yield eight patties, enough for four to eight servings, depending on whether you choose to serve two patties on a single bun (not an outrageous option).Do not form the patties before cooking. Instead, leave the ground meat in a pile in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook. Then gently divide the ground beef into 8 small piles of around 4 ounces each, and even more gently gather them together into orbs that are about 2 inches in height. Add oil or butter to a large cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet and place over medium heat.When you're ready to transfer the meat to the pan, turn the heat to high. Put half the orbs into the skillet with plenty of distance between them. Quickly, using a stiff metal spatula, press down on each burger, smashing it to form a thin patty that is around 4 inches in diameter and about 1/2 inch thick. Season with salt and pepper.Cook without moving until patties have achieved a deep, burnished crust, roughly 90 seconds later. Slide your spatula under the patty, flip it over, add cheese if you're using it, and cook the hamburger through, approximately a minute or so longer. Remove them to buns, and repeat with remaining burgers.
• Not all burgers are made of red meat. For a little variety, try a patty made of vegetables, poultry or seafood. You make a veggie burger like the one in the video above because you want the hamburger experience without the meat. The enemy of a veggie burger is mushiness, which stems from a high moisture content. To combat that, try roasting the more watery ingredients - mushrooms, tofu, beans and beets are good ones - to both dehydrate them somewhat and intensify their flavors. You need a diverse lot of ingredients to make a good veggie burger, to boost both texture and flavor. Legume and grain burgers can be hard to manage when cooking them, so try binding the mixture with mashed potatoes, white or sweet. The flavor difference - and manageability - is astounding. When looking for ground chicken or turkey for burgers, make sure that you get the highest fat to meat ratio available at the grocery store, or consider going to a butcher or specialty shop. Because poultry is leaner than red meat, you'll need to add fat and moisture, since the meat itself generally won't be fatty enough to retain a patty shape or fry up properly. Moisten them by adding ketchup and a bit of grated onion to the ground meat - or mayonnaise and a bit of mustard.With any burger made of seafood - tuna, salmon or shrimp - a key component is the binding agent, the thing that helps keep the burger from falling apart. Some recipes rely on bread crumbs, others on an egg or mayonnaise. Whatever the recipe calls for, make sure the balance of wet and dry ingredients is maintained. Too much liquid, and you'll have a floppy mess; too little, and you'll have a bunch of crumbs in the pan. These burgers are best cooked in a pan, although the brave of heart may try them straight on the grill.
• Get a cast-iron pan. There is no better surface on which to cook a hamburger. The fat that renders out of the meat gathers around the patty as it cooks, crisping the exterior and adding a great deal of flavor. You can even use a cast-iron pan outside, setting it on top of a grill. It will heat beautifully over the fire. A cast-iron pan is also a great surface for cooking non-beef burgers: turkey, chicken, salmon and the like.Some cooks salt the pan and cook the meat directly on the spice. Others use a scant amount of oil for the first few patties. More will not be necessary later, as fat renders from the meat.You don't need to cook burgers in a cast-iron pan, of course. If you'd prefer to cook them outdoors on the grill, you can also shape the patties and cook them directly over the flames.Build a hot fire, and don't make the patties too loose or too large. Be careful to flip them enough times, both to crisp the exterior and cook them thoroughly. Resist the temptation to press down on them with the spatula, which only spews juice and fat on the fire, causing the flames to flare up and the burger to lose precious flavor. If you feel your burger is cooking too quickly, use the cooler sides of the grill to rest them. And remember: lowering the top on the grill helps cheese melt.
• You can serve hamburgers on brioche buns, English muffins, sesame-seeded hamburger buns or even plain toasted bread. But to our minds the best option is a bun made of potato flour, which offers a soft and sturdy platform for the meat. Regardless, the most important factor in hamburger-bun selection is size. The ratio between bun and burger should be close. The bread should never overwhelm the burger.You can dress a burger with almost any cheese, as long as it melts well. For diner-style burgers, apply the cheese as soon as you've flipped the patty. For tavern-style burgers, do so soon after. Good cheeses for hamburgers include American, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Swiss, Asiago, Emmentaler, Fontina, Gruyère, Havarti, Muenster, mozzarella, the blue cheeses and (if you remove the rinds) soft-ripened cheeses like Brie and Camembert. Nonmelting cheeses like goat cheese and feta can also be used, but they will not enrobe a burger patty so much as sit softly atop it.Once you pull your burgers off the heat, place them on buns and (depending on the circumstance) either dress them yourself or serve them naked to guests to dress themselves. In the latter case, lead by example: Do not overdress. The same notion of a ratio between meat to bun and cheese to meat holds between finished burger and the condiments that go on top and below it. Moderation in all things. What you should always have on hand: Sliced ripe tomatoesCold, crisp lettuce, such as BibbPickles (sliced in rounds, please)Onions (red or white, peeled and sliced)Jalapeños (seeded and sliced, or pickled)You can serve caramelized onions as a burger topping, or sautéed mushrooms. For a messy, luxurious addition to a burger, fry an egg and slide it on top of the finished patty.Always offer mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard. Mayonnaise mixtures or special sauce are also nice. Some combine one part ketchup to two parts mayonnaise for a burger topping known in some quadrants as fry sauce, and in others as pink sauce. You could make a more fiery version by adding hot sauce or sriracha. Some like steak sauce on a burger. And if you've got the time, try making your own aioli; it will elevate the burger to a whole new level.

MUSHROOM VEGGIE BURGER

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add mushrooms, onion, and garlic to the hot oil and season with salt, black pepper, and oregano. Cook and stir mushroom mixture until mushrooms have given up their juice and the juice has almost evaporated, about 10 minutes. Transfer cooked mushrooms to a cutting board and chop into small chunks with a knife.
• Transfer mushrooms to a large bowl. Mix in rolled oats and bread crumbs; taste for salt and black pepper and add more to taste. Stir Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into the mixture, followed by eggs. Let mixture stand for the crumbs to soak up excess liquid, about 15 minutes. (At this point you can refrigerate the mixture to cook later if desired.) Moisten hands with a little vegetable oil or water, pick up about 1/4 cup of mixture, and form into burgers.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and pan-fry burgers until browned and cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes.

VEGGIE BURGERS WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Smash the beans in a bowl with a potato masher or fork until slightly chunky. Add the onion, walnuts, carrot, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, scallions, parsley and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper and mix with your hands until combined.
• Spread the remaining 1/2 cup breadcrumbs on a plate. Form the bean mixture into 4 patties; lightly coat with the breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the patties and cook until golden and slightly crisp, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the burgers to a plate.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and the remaining 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; season with salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms are slightly wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve the burgers on the English muffins with mayonnaise and/or mustard, baby greens and mushrooms.

MUSHROOM BURGERS WITH ALMONDS AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Place the bulgur in a bowl with a little salt if desired. Cover with ½ cup hot water and leave for 20 to 25 minutes, until most of the water has been absorbed and the bulgur is soft. Drain through a strainer and squeeze out the water.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor fitted with the steel blade, grind the almonds coarsely.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add the mushrooms. When they begin to soften and sweat, turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, until the mushrooms have softened. Add the garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and white wine, and continue to cook, stirring, until there is no more liquid in the pan, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer to the food processor and process until very finely chopped.
• Return the pan to the heat and add the spinach, a handful at a time. Cook just until it wilts and remove from the heat. Transfer to a strainer and, with the back of a spoon, press out excess water. Add spinach to the food processor and process with the mushrooms and almonds until the ingredients are well blended. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, stir in the bulgur and egg (if using), and season to taste with salt and pepper. Form into patties. If there is time, cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours.
• Heat the remaining oil in a large, heavy skillet or on a griddle over medium heat, and brown the patties for 3 minutes on each side, being very careful when you turn them over. Don't worry if they fall apart; just patch them together. An offset spatula works well for turning them, and when you remove the patties from the pan, it helps if you place the bottom bun over the patty, slide the spatula underneath the patty and, with your hand on the bun, flip it over. Serve with the condiments of your choice.